Arch Linux Netboot
About Netboot
Netboot images are small (<1MB) images that can be used to download the latest Arch Linux release on the fly upon system boot. It is unnecessary to update the netboot image, the newest release will be available automatically.
Netboot uses customized iPXE builds. The Linux kernel, initramfs and squashfs files for the live system are downloaded from an Arch Linux mirror. The integrity of all downloaded files is verified with cryptographic signatures.
Requirements
To use netboot, the following requirements must be met:
- Wired (ethernet) internet connection with DHCP autoconfiguration
- Sufficient memory to store and run the live system
Download
BIOS
- ipxe-arch.lkrn (PGP signature) - Linux kernel-like image that can be started with any Linux bootloader
- ipxe-arch.pxe (PGP signature) - PXE image for chainloading from a PXE environment
UEFI
- ipxe-arch.efi (PGP signature) - x86_64 UEFI executable
You can build your own iPXE images compatible with netboot. For details, check out the ipxe package.
More information
For detailed usage instructions, check out the netboot wiki page.